Since it is still a bit cloudy this morning, we decide to bike the Du-Bonc Trail to Cap-des-Rosiers Lighthouse and save the hike up to the Mont-Saint-Alban lookout tower until this afternoon when the sun will be shining and we'll have clear 360 degree panoramic views.
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| Outboard engines on the fishing trawlers |
The boats in this little fishing harbour have all upgraded their motors to massive outboard engines rather than the old inboard diesels. We figure they are much more powerful to get you out and back off the ocean quicker plus, they'd be so much easier to work on when you have a break down.
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| Cod fish drying rack and boat winch |
We come upon some old cod fish drying racks and an old winch they would use to haul their boats out of the water.
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| Carricks shipwreck memorial |
Farther along the trail is an Irish Memorial of the shipwreck 'Carricks of Whitehaven', which commemorates 187 Irish emigrants fleeing the Great Famine. All but 48 passengers died when their ship struck a reef in a huge storm off Cap-des-Rosiers on April 28th, 1847. The Carricks was designed for 50 people so it was sadly severely overloaded at the time.
The black monument in the front of the photo houses remains of some of the Irish emigrants and the brown monument on the right houses the Carricks ship bell, which washed up on a shore, September 24th, 1966, far from the wreck on a beach on Quebec's north shore.
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| Remains of some of the Irish emigrants |
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| Salt Marsh |
A Salt Marsh (Marais Sale) is next along the trail and it is very unique. Fresh water from nearby rivers and the bay intermingles with the saltwater, creating a brackish environment that supports highly specific, highly productive flora and fauna. The coexistence is super fragile and climate change combined with rising sea levels requires Parks Canada to manage the area strictly.
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| Birds living in the marsh |
The 'Merlin Bird' app we use to identify birds in the area is very useful and we are able to see what birds get to call this place home. It's a lovely place to sit and just listen.
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Chris heading up the tower
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After a rest at the trailer we head out to tackle the Mont-Saint-Alban observation tower hike. The sun is actually shining brightly for the first time in days so we have been waiting to see the views we have read about. It's only 1.8 km up and steep up in places but it's a fast trip up and the views make it all worthwhile.
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| Cap Gaspe - yesterday's hike |
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| Cap-des-Rosier (left) Cap Gaspe (Right) |
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| Gaspe Bay and Perce Rock in far distance |
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| Mont-Saint-Alban trail - ropes in places |
The trip down is fast.
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| Iconic Parks Canada red chairs at a lookout point |
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| Cliffs of the Gaspe Bay |
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| One pan lasagna |
Home for one pan lasagna that turns out amazing! Happy Father's Day Chris
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